To think this phone chugger was well out of order?

[IntoTheGrave]

So I answer the phone and it's a begging charity (quelle surprise!)

I soften a little when I hear he is calling on behalf of GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital).

But I make it very clear from the start of the conversation that I have no spare money whatsoever and could not commit to a direct debit, no matter how small.

Fine, he says, we just want to inform you about the work we do if you have the time. Of course I do.

So for the next 5 minutes he tells me about the wonderful work they do and also how they desperately need to update the building.

Great , I say, and good luck with the fundraising, at which point he tells me that he is a professional salesperson employed by GOSH and he has been paid £4.50 for that call.

AIBU to think he is a TWAT of the highest order to get paid for a call that was going nowhere from the start?

Er, it's a job, you know?

Yes OLKN, but the point is, he could have used that time better by calling someone else who might be able to donate, instead of wasting time and the charity´s money.

yanbu
this is why I tell the to sod of straight away

I suppose you could look at it in different ways.

In one way, yes he is a twat to take charity money knowing full well you didn't intend to donate. But on the other hand, a crucial fundraising aspect for charities is about awareness-raising. Now that you know all about GOSH's awesome work and how much they need to renovate their facilities, when you are in a position to support a charity you'll potentially think of them first. Or you might decide on the basis of the conversation that you want to fundraise for them with an event or somesuch, when previously you didn't know a great deal about them.

I encountered a chugger this week who had apparently never heard of the term "chugger" and seemed most put out when I explained it to her.

£4.50???

Why don't GOSH sack the chuggers and build the bloody extension with the savings.

I now only donate ever to people who are collecting as volunteers, i will not pay for someone to fundraise, to me that isnt a true 'charity'

salizchap, IME folk doing that kind of job aren't doing it primarily to raise cash for charity, but to put a roof over their own heads, and perhaps those of their DC. £4.50 for a short conversation is a decent rate of pay - until you consider the many more people who will simply tell him to "Fuck off" and slam the phone down.

chugger? whats a chugger?

"charity mugger" - it started with those keen young folk who harrass you in city centres, asking if you can afford just £2 a month for XYZ charity.

CHUGGER =

CHarity mUGGER

Well...he's raising awareness...I don't agree with it either but the money he was payed was for raising awareness. YANBU to be annoyed ut surely you realised he was an employee? They all are nowadays,

I politely told a chugger a few years ago what I thought of them. They wanted me to set up a monthly direct debit to some African children's charity. I politely explained I was a student and couldn't. They told me that was OK as they had a student rate!

I truthfully told them that I was flying out to Africa the next month to work for nothing in a rural hospital and that's what would be more useful.

I always tell chuggers that I prefer to give directly - meaning I do not want to have my donation put into their pay packet but I'm too polite to say. One chased me down the road saying "but this is direct! directly via me!"

thanks for that. agree with all so far so irritating and cant understand how the charities manage to make enough money from the amount of calls they make to me alone!

I suppose the charities must make more money than what they have to pay in wages or they wouldn't carry on doing it.

HE isnt getting paid £4.20 for the call!! He will likely be on an eight hour shift, he might speak to someone every five minutes. If he got paid that per call, he'd be quite well off...
The charity is likely paying the COMPANY that the caller works for this rate per call.
I used to do this job. I can assure you that people dont get paid per call! Its a small hourly rate. I think it was five something when I was there about ten years ago. It was a hideous job, but none the less, people did raise a lot of money for charity, we would have a seminar with the charity at the start of each campaign, the charity come in to monitor the calls, anyone not pulling their weight or not representing the charity effectively is pulled from the campaign.
If charities dont ask, they often simply dont get. It is a bit distasteful, in some ways, but it does work, it does raise them the most money - the charities do not take this type of investment lightly, believe me.

I use the term chugger in RL, and people look at me all

My point really was, should he not have hung up when I said there was no money to be had; he carried on because he knew he would be paid, and this is what I don't know: do they get paid only if their calls go over a certain time?

I don't know how he's paid, but you can hardly blame the poor man for maximising his income within the parameters of his contract.

I tell chuggers that since they believe in this charity so much, perhaps they ought to donate their wages. Bad enough in the street, but once you are at home you are entitled not to be hassled by people asking for money.

Most of the charities are really worthwhile, but their fundraising methods are fucking annoying and quite aggressive. I'm sure that people who donate would not be happy to think that their donation was funding chuggers, even if they do lead to more donations overall.

But that's illogical, karmabeliever; if paid fundraisers raise more than their own salaries they're worth the money to the charity!

Why the hell would he tell you what he'd been paid? - that seems bizarre...

no they dont into the grave. they get an hourly rate! there is nothing sinister going on.. Its a job! Charities cant hang up and only talk to the ones iwth money to give. they see it as a relationship call, and often only call those who have given a previous donation (therefore have shown an interest in the charity), if they tell you a bit about the charity work, sometimes it might make you think "actually, thats brilliant, I am going to give £2 a month", this happened quite a bit on the phones when I did the job. And good, thats money the charity knows it is getting every month, money they can use to plan ahead with, which makes their work more effective.

It may be a legal requirement.